A Hero's Duty (Name subject to change)
by Wingd knight
Summary: Percy doesn't like Wonder Woman, she never helped out him or the other demigods when they needed her, but his little half-sister loves the heroine so he'll work with her if only to keep his sister happy. Besides, he was still a hero, always would be, and a hero's duty is never done. I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT.
1. Chapter 1

**Right so there was a THREE WAY TIE on the poll- this is why more people need to vote on those things!- so I rolled a die with two sides representing each of the three winning stories and this story won. Depending on how it is received generally it may be continued, or it could be shoved aside and another one of the winners will be given a shot. That said be sure to tell me what you think of this setup chapter and if you have any suggestions for pairings (Note that pairing will likely be a very minor thing in this story and just because you can give ideas and reasonings for one does not mean it will be utilized)!**

"Mom, Dad, Percy! Come see this!" Seven-year-old Estelle Blofis yelled from the living room of the Jackson-Blofis apartment's living room.

Groaning Percy, Son of Poseidon, leader of the armies of Olympus both Greek and Roman, most powerful demigod ever et cetera et cetera and the older half brother of the in his opinion _far _to chipper little angel, dragged himself out of bed blurrily. When he had first gotten the Curse of Achilles when he was fifteen he hadn't noticed how much it made him want to sleep, it wasn't until he had lost it entering New Rome and reclaimed it in the pits of Tartarus that he truly realized how much it sapped his energy. Luckily splashing his face with some cold water every few hours and sleeping till noon on weekends minimized the Curse's side effect.

Slowly making his way toward the continued exclamations of his sister Percy took a moment in his dazed state to go over what had happened the past few weeks. He had woken up with no memory, found New Rome, fought a Giant, got his memories back, had a mutual breakup/break time agreement with Annabeth, met up with his other friends, sailed a flying boat into war, saved Nico from his imprisonment, fell into Tartarus in order to save his ex, spent… he thinks a hundred years or so fighting and fucking in the pits while surviving off of liquid fire-getting his Curse back about halfway through the ordeal, escaped, joined the armies of Olympus in the fight against Gaia, beat the crap out of her in an epic one on one final stand, and came home.

Yeah, the past mortal year had been pretty freaking insane for Percy, but hey at least he saved the day and lived to enjoy it!

The smile the thought brought to his face distracted from the haunting gaze his time in the Pit left him with. He survived, and so did those he cared about. Gods, Titans, Monsters, Giants, even Primordials had done all they could to end his life yet still he kept kicking while most of them were now gone hopefully forever. Yeah, he was a badass.

Unfortunately what he saw when he entered the living room put an instant stop to his good mood. Right there on the screen was a report on the heroics of Estelle's favorite heroine, Wonder Woman. Gods Percy hated her. When the Titans returned she did nothing, not even during the battle of New York. When the Giants came she never even showed her face. When Gaia herself began to claw her way back to the surface to wipe out all of humanity, the _great _Amazon princess did jack shit and so did all of her Themyscarian sisters. She was blessed by who knew how many gods and gifted with strength and powers far beyond what she earned all because she was a part of the goddess' pet project and won some tournament. He, Jason, Nico, Thalia, Hazel, they all trained and fought with everything they had and more to gain half of what she was given. Sure after his time in the Pit Percy was sure he could match the Amazon blow for blow and then some, but he went through a century of non-stop conflict, pain, and life-threatening situations!

If the oldest living demigod daughter of Zeus had bothered to help her mortal family in their times of need only the Fates knew how many demigods and legionaries would still be alive. Maybe even Jason would still be alive, not that the bitch even cared enough about her half brother to even attend his funeral.

Why, _why_ did Estelle have to idolize his cousin? Not that his little sister knew about his familial connection with the Justice Leaguer or his bloodline and feats in general. It just didn't make sense to Percy. Estelle was too young to really care about things like Diana's admittingly stunning beauty, or the cultural ideals of the Amazons of Themyscara, so was it the super strength? Superman was stronger and faster. The fighting prowess? Both Batman and Black Canary were more skilled. The ability to give a speech and be charismatic? Again Superman matched her or even beat her there. So why?

"She's so cool!" The young girl yelled as the broadcast showed the Amazon punch clean through some kind of killer robot.

Sally gave her son a quick glance before seemingly agreeing with her daughter, "She is something else Sweetheart." She told her daughter.

"That's one way to put it," Percy grumbled. Estelle just stuck her tongue out at her brother.

"No fighting you two." Paul warned knowing that the subject of the raven-haired woman tended to cause the two normally close siblings to take up figurative arms against each other.

"When did this happen anyway?" Percy asked jerking his chin toward the TV.

"Like an hour ago!" Estelle exclaimed, "And it happened in Brooklyn! That means Wonder Woman is in New York!" Her excitement now made a bit more sense. Wonder Woman usually operated out of DC.

"Why would she be in New York?" Percy wondered out loud. Sure the city didn't have a Justice League member setting up shop in it, but it did have its own heroes and the special heavy duty SWAT teams that were set up to take care of most Super level threats meant that having a big shot like Wonder Woman wasn't really needed. Maybe the gods had summoned her for something or another.

"I'm sure she has her reasons." His mother told him while grabbing his sister off the couch. "Now come on, I'm making pennies for lunch."

Perking up at the mention of food Percy pushed the subject of his very much disliked relative from his mind and began to follow his family into the kitchen. Before they could sit down however, hell before Percy was even able to make his sandwich request, the doorbell rang, the sudden noise causing Percy to jump slightly as his demigod and war-forged reflexes instantly made him think of danger before he settled himself back down. He sighed, "I'll get it." He groaned already moving to answer the door.

"If its a salesperson tell them we aren't buying." Paul called out.

'_Are door to door salespeople even a thing anymore?' _Percy thought exasperatedly. His stepfather really needed to stop reading books set in the sixties.

Opening the door Percy already had a politeish dismissal on the tip of his tongue when he opened the door only to come up short when he saw just who had rung the bell. "Hello, Perseus." Diana of Thyemiscara dressed in a full length trench coat over Percy was sure her bathing suit looking costume greeted her cousin, after stopping him from slamming the door in her face that is.

"What in the name of Hades do you want." He growled, his Wolf Stare in full effect

The older woman almost flinched before sighing, "Can we speak inside?" She requested.

"No." His family was inside. His mother, stepfather, and little sister. If any of them saw the Amazon it would be a thousand times harder to get the woman to leave, not to mention how difficult it would be to explain to Estelle how he knew Wonder Woman and why she would come to their apartment… Actually, why was she there? They had never met before or interacted in any way. He only knew about her because of the news and some passing mentions of her from the various gods and immortals he regularly interacted with the former group he guessed was also the reason she knew his name and where he lived.

"Perseus I understand that you may not have the highest opinion of me-"

"Well no shit." Percy snapped, "You left us- your fucking family- to be massacred _twice. _You never bothered to help us out even _once _over the past five years, hell you didn't even bother to attend your own brother's funeral!" He snarled.

"There were things that kept me away Perseus." She defended herself.

"What could have been more important than helping your blood fight off armies of monsters intent on destroying all human life on the planet?!" He almost yelled, trying his hardest not to lose his temper and alert his family and the neighbors about the conversation and who he was having it with.

Diana looked away guiltily, "Discussions about Themyiscara being on the world stage. Treaties, agreements, borders and sovereignty, not to mention my work with the Justice League."

"You couldn't miss one or two fucking days? Couldn't push back a meeting or two!? Do you know how the goddesses praised you? How they called you the 'prime example' of a demigod? How you would be the greatest asset, sword or shield, of Olympus and all those who fought under its name?" He demanded. Artemis had been the most vocal about it at first. She was so proud of the woman who could 'outmatch even Heracles' and would stand above everyone else the gods could put on the field, she and her fellow Amazons. Her words of praise dried up pretty quickly after she lost more than half of her Huntresses during the battle of New York and not a single Amazon showed up instead leaving it to Percy himself to direct the war efforts and defeat Chronos.

Diana winced, "I know I failed in many of my duties to Olympus and our family Perseus but please do not make the mistake of thinking that it was due to ill will." She pleaded, "I came here to try and start to make amends."

Percy snorted, "Nothing you could offer would make up for all of us who died or were injured in the past two wars Diana." He snapped.

"Maybe not but it would be just another folly if I didn't at least try." The heroine took out a plastic card from one of her jacket's pockets and gave it to Percy. "This is an access card to the Hall of Justice in DC." She told him, "On the Fourth, the sidekicks of Batman, Flash, Aquaman, and Green Arrow will take their first step in joining the Justice League. I offer you the same chance as them." She revealed causing Percy to look at her in shock, "You are without a doubt one of the greatest heroes this world has ever seen Perseus, mortal or otherwise. You can do a great deal of good beyond the world hidden by the Mist and you deserve at least some recognition for what you have done for everyone who calls the Earth their home."

Percy looked down at the credit card shaped piece of plastic that his cousin had given him. Blue-tinged silver with the golden JL logo of the League it looked official without standing out too much at a passing glance. The son of Poseidon sighed, he really didn't like Diana, and as far as he was concerned defending his family and those he held dear would always come before anything or anyone else, but she was right that Percy could do a great deal of good if he fought against the nondivine threats that plagued the world as well. "I'll consider it." He told her, not bothering with looking at her, "Don't expect me to join in whatever PR stunt campaign march that's gonna be set up for the others if I do show up, but I will consider at least meeting with the rest of the Justice League."

Diana nodded, "That is all I can ask cousin." She bowed slightly and turned away.

"Did you offer this to the other surviving members of the Seven or Nico?" He called after her, causing the older demigoddess to stop and turn to look at her cousin over her shoulder.

"... Piper McLean's skill in direct combat is commendable, but her reliance on Charm Speak would leave her vulnerable when faced with strong-willed or inorganic or even simply unintelligent beings. Frank Zang for all his raw strength from his transformation ability is bound to New Rome and would not be able to act without the Senate's permission. Leo Valdez is legally still dead and has opted to spend his time either on Calypso's island or wandering mostly isolated from the world. Annabeth Chase while having unmatched skill with her dagger and a strong mind would simply be too vulnerable against mortal weaponry. Hazel Levesque's powers over precious stones and metals would disrupt economies wherever she fought. And Nico DeAngelo's abilities are simply too…" She tried to think of a way to explain how the young man's necromantic abilities would be unsuited to the image of the League and the mental well being of those they were defending without sounding condemning about his ancestry.

"I get it." Percy waved her off. He may not like it but he could at least somewhat agree with her reasonings about not offering the same 'honor' to his closest friends and allies.

Diana nodded and turned away once more, this time not being stopped as she made her way down the hall toward the elevators. Percy waited until the metal doors closed between the two demigods before going back into his family's apartment, stuffing the access card his cousin had given him into a pocket of his slept in jeans.

"Who was it Percy?" Paul asked his stepson as the teen fell into a chair beside him.

"Jehovus witness." Percy lied "Took a while to convince them to leave." His stepfather easily accepted the lie but the look on his mother's face clearly said that she didn't, thankfully she didn't push him for answers, he didn't want to think about the implications of the card resting in his pocket, or the offer buzzing in his head.

**Decent I hope? I wanted to get in where Percy is at mentally and physically, his viewpoint on Wonder Woman said heroine's guilt and reasons, why the other members of the Seven aren't being given the same offer, yadda yadda yadda. Be sure to click those follow and favorite boxes and drop a REVIEW for me yeah?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Took a while, and with classes starting up again next week the next one might take a while as well. Still, I hope this entertains you all at least a little bit. Got some basic character building, some timeline progression, Persassy, a mom being a mom, all that good stuff.**

**Now to answer some questions that some people have brought up: 1) Percy's sister's age. In this universe, Gabe began to hit Percy one day and Sally decided to divorce him, not wanting her son to live like that. It took a long time for Sally to get the settlement she knew she would need from the divorce because Gabe had access to far more money than she did. During this time she met and began to date Paul and got pregnant with her little girl. She and Paul were with his parents when the events of The Lightning Theif started. Gabe is still a statue. 2) The Pit. Percy jumped after Annabeth when she was dragged into the pit, grabbed the girl, and threw her back out. He fell alone. 3) Power levels. Percy is technically, sort of kind of, an Atlantian, just a 'higher breed' or whatever. So I'm giving him strength a bit higher than Aquaman's. Please remember that Aquaman while always being weaker than them, has always been able to hurt and injure Superman and Wonder Woman when they fought. Speed-wise he's fast enough to block bullets like his cousin and can run at low mache speeds. 4) Breaking up the power couple. I had Percy and Annabeth break up for one key reason- no matter how else it makes sense or could affect the story later on- relationships take time and dedication and involvement and I don't want to have to make every other chapter include the demigods or New Rome or Camp. It's just easier to say he's single and bring in Annabeth and the rest as I want to use them. Okay, I think that's it. Enjoy.**

Percy woke up torturously early on the Fourth of July, the day that the sidekicks of the Justice League members were to be granted access to the famed Hall of Justice. '_They really need to work on their naming sense.'_ Percy grumbled as he tightened the straps of his left vambrace, the last piece of armor he needed to put on to complete the set.

After deciding that he would indeed show up at the Hall like his cousin asked he had quickly also decided to go with a full Ancient Greek theme with some oceanic highlights for his… persona or whatever heroes called their hero sides. Full Greek armor- studded leather skirt thing and all save for a pair of thick boots instead of sandals- made from a mix of a Celestial Bronze base and Imperial Gold wave like ripples to give the armor an almost liquid appearance. Top it off with a plumeless helmet with three spikes above his eyes and a golden trident over his heart and it was pretty clear what he was going for. At least in his mind.

His bracers secure Percy stood up from his bed and grabbed his sword belt- not something he normally wore but Riptide didn't work on mortals or mortal armor so he was taking the Drakon Bone sword he got in Tartarus, plus it was a good place to keep the two collapsible spears he had ordered from the Hermes Mail Service and his small bag of ambrosia-, allowing himself a brief glance in the mirror as he tightened the piece of leather. Even without having put on his helmet just yet he couldn't say that he really recognized himself in his own reflection. He usually wore a baggy T-Shirt or sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, a typical teenage wardrobe. But in full armor, with the small scars on his upper arms and legs on display? He looked like a soldier from the times of his father's highest worship. It was disconcerting to say the least.

He remembered his mother catching him polishing it a week after the war against Geia ended. She knew about his Curse and didn't know about the time he spent without it after bathing in the Tiber. She had asked him why he bothered with it anymore, after all wouldn't it just weigh him down?

'_I need the weight.' _He had told her, '_I need it to remind me not to get cocky. That I am not unbeatable. I need it so that when the battle ends and I take it off I can see every dent, scratch, and piercing in it I am reminded I am not some perfect warrior, that I'm not infallible. So many of the gods are like that, more than a few demigods too if they live long enough to develop an ego. I don't want that to be me. I don't want to think I'm above everyone just so that I can be proven wrong.' _

She had cried. He had made his mother cry for the first time in years and that made him feel like more of a figurative bastard than he was a literal one.

"Is your dad sending you on another quest? Or is it one of your uncles?" Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Percy turned to face his mother, the older woman standing in the doorway of his room dressed in her pajamas. "Neither." He assured her, "I'm going to DC. What are you doing up so early?" He asked.

"It's six-thirty in the morning Percy, I've been waking up at this time for longer than you've been alive. Only teenagers think of it as the crack of dawn you know." She teased.

"It can be! Apollo is pretty inconsistent." Percy defended himself with a laugh.

The long suffering woman smiled at her son. "So. DC?" She questioned.

Percy winced and sighed as he picked up his helmet, "... Diana invited me to join the Justice League." He admitted. "I might not like her, but I have to admit she made a decent argument for it." As the words left his mouth he saw the mirthful and quizzical look in his mom's eyes turn to worry. Again Percy winced.

All his mother knew about the dangers of the divine world she got from old legends, books, and watered down regaling from Percy himself. The things the League dealt with had no such lense. She saw video of Batman fighting the likes of Joker and his gang, of Superman fighting Solomon Grundy, of his cousin fighting Cheetah. She had listened to news reports of the damage and bloodshed the villains that the League fought against caused. The knowledge that such things occasionally happened within a dozen miles of her must have been bad enough, but the thought of her eldest child purposely going out looking for such people? Of him fighting them? It must have terrified her.

"Mom." The demigod said softly walking up to the older woman and clasping her shoulder with the hand not currently occupied with holding his helmet, "I'll be fine okay? I'm more durable than Superman, stronger than Aquaman, I'm fast enough to catch three bullets in my teeth alone, _and_ have been recognized as one of the best swordsmen in history by both Chiron and Athena. And that's not even going into my water powers, earthquake powers, _or_ storm powers." Okay, he might have exaggerated with the speed thing, but the rest was true.

Sally breathed deeply, "Bring your Nemean lion skin." She told him firmly, knowing he had gotten a new one during his time in the Pit.

Percy blinked and looked down at his armor clad form, "Uh, I don't think a fur lined letterman jacket will go with this."

"Then wear it as a _cape."_ She ordered.

This time he winced. He was not a fan of wearing capes or cloaks, "Come on mom-"

"_Perseus_."

"Yes ma'am!"

"And remember your shield watch!"

Mistakes are something that Percy is, unfortunately, pretty used to. Luckily all things considered forgetting that getting from New York City to DC via pegasus took about an hour instead of four and a half like a car would have taken was a pretty small oversight. All it meant was that he got to the Hall a few hours earlier than he thought he would and would now have to wait. Not too bad, plus it made getting into the building without anyone noticing even easier.

'_Being able to use the Mist to alter perception and being capable of using moisture in the air to bend light kind of makes sneaking into a building that you have the key to pretty effortless.' _The teenaged demi-god thought to himself as he entered the library of the Hall- it took way to much willpower not to mess with the giant statues in the lobby for him to stay there. His own brand of invisibility might not have been on par with Annabeth's Yankees cap- it took way too much concentration to use it in battle and required constant focus- but it was more than capable of getting him through the small army of reporters and fans already gathering outside the building from bothering him.

Sitting down on one of the plush couches that furnished the book filled room- mindful of his sword and the damn lion pelt cape his mother forced him to wear- Percy briefly debated taking off his helmet but seeing as there was an observation deck behind him he decided against it, even if said deck was currently empty. The hero breathed out heavily through his teeth and patted his legs. Three hours. It would be three hours before the actual League members and their protegees would be due to arrive. He groaned loudly, flopping backward to slouch on the couch. "I should have gone out for a burger or something. There has to be at least one place here that sells breakfast burgers right?" He asked himself out loud.

Not getting an answer from the empty room the half blood yawned loudly. Gods above and below he was tired. Getting up early then having to ride Blackjack for an hour to get to the Hall on top of his Curse left him feeling very fatigued. '_I have like two and a half hours.' _Percy told himself lazily, his eyes already closing. '_A quick nap won't hurt...' _Before the dark haired hero could begin to question the idea his mind already faded out and he drifted off into the land of dreams.

_Screams. Roars. Growls. No matter what he did Percy could never escape the constant noises of rage and pain that echoed around him. He hadn't slept in a week, he'd had a migraine for almost just as long, his bones ached from the vibrations the non stop noise caused._

"_Shut up." Percy whispered horsly. Gods his throat was dry. When was the last time he'd had a sip of water or nectar? Three days ago? Or was is four? He couldn't remember._

"_Ssssea Sssspaw-!" A Dracaenae began only to be silenced by Percy's every trustworthy sword Riptide. That was another thing, since this is where all monsters went to respawn they were much more brutal here and would return to attack him again much faster than if he killed them outside of the pit. Probably because all they had to do was reform at the most basic level and sniff him out, rather than fully resurrect themselves and crawl their way out of the Pit._

_Percy licked his chapped lips, his eyes darting across the golden dust that was once a snake woman, searching for anything that looked like a sack or a canteen. The day after his water, ambrosia, and nectar ran out he had been fortunate enough to kill a rough cyclops that had been carrying a large jug on his hip. Percy had assumed it was water and had ripped its stopper out and chugged several mouthfuls of its contents before his mind registered what it was. Fire, liquid like fire._

_He had screamed in pain and dropped the jug, letting it shatter on the ground and its contents seemingly seep into the dry stone. He regretted his reflex almost instantly. Despite the pain the fire had caused him no harm and had in fact seemed to energize his body, even taking off a bit of the edge of his hunger. That fire had been life, and he had foolishly let it slip between his fingers._

_So far none of the monsters he had slain since then had had any more of the strange substance, but he held out hope. Hope for the sustaining fire, hope that he could find a way out of there, hope that the gods or the Fates might send him some kind of aid. He had to. It was all he had in the Pit. _

Percy's hand snapped out like a viper to grab the wrist of someone who had been about to grab his shoulder. His sea green eyes opening blurrily and his heart beating far faster than someone who had just been sleeping should have had the demigod took a second to focus on his would be aggravator. A plastic and metal longbow, a quiver of mechanical arrows, red hair, semi pale skin, domino mask, white out lenses over his eyes, stupid yellow hat, and a blood red uniform. "...Archer junior?" Percy mumbled. He knew who this was. It was Modern douchebag beard Robinhood's student. At least he was pretty sure it was. Ask him again in a minute.

'Junior' gritted his teeth while a pair of snickers emitted from somewhere else in the room. "My name is _Speedy."_ He growled, tugging his arm out of Percy's grip. The demigod let him.

"...Gonzales?" The snickers turned into chuckles.

_Speedy_ seethed, "Fuck. You."

Percy looked the other teen up and down, "I'm game." And now the chuckles were replaced with shocked choking laughter.

Another, much darker shape entered Percy's vision. "Who are you." A deep, threatening, authoritative voice demands. Batguy.

"I'm guessing dear old Diana didn't tell you she invited some family over?" Percy snarked back in turn. He'd been trained by freaking Lupa and Chiron, his dad and both his uncles were kings, he stood against the antithesis to his specific powerset and bloodline. The voice of some guy in a cape isn't going to scare him.

"Diana has male family members?" Another voice asked, this one sounding just a bit faster than normal and much friendlier than the previous two.

"Plenty." Percy grunted, finally fully waking up, "Though most of us aren't really on talking terms with her." The teen informed as he stood up.

Dark and broody spoke up, "You are the wielder of the blade of Heraclius." It wasn't a question.

"...Is _that_ how she informed you of my existence? Not bloodline, deeds, titles, name, nickname, family relation status, but by my _sword?_ _Seriously_?"

"I know your name and bloodline." Batguy- wait no it was Batman- assured him, "Professional courtesy dictates I don't reveal it unless necessary."

Percy blinked. "Oh. Okay. Er, in that case, call me Riptide?" What? It might be his sword but it was a badass name and it fit his power set! Besides according to the majority of Camp Half-Blood his naming sense sucked. Seriously. Name one amnesiac titan 'Bob' and you never hear the end of it! Damn critics.

**Yes, its a cliffhanger. I didn't want to cram the whole of Percy's meeting the heroes into what started as a transition chapter, so the rest of things up until they head out to Cadmus or maybe even go down the elevator will be next chapter. Until then, follow, favorite, REVIEW, and I'll see you all next time.**

PS: I'm thinking of changing the name of this story to 'Water of the Womb' or 'Blood of the Covenant'. What do you all think?


	3. Chapter 3

**Changes to cannon! Character development! Giving reasons to a dumb thing from cannon! A look through the eyes of someone other than Percy! News Reporters! Writing a thousand words in an hour because I forgot it was Batman day and needed to post SOMETHING WITH BATMAN IN IT! Enjoy!**

Roy- currently Speedy- was admittedly a _bit_ irritated at the moment. He had been fighting crime alongside his guardian, mentor, and though he would never admit it his idol Green Arrow, for three years now. He had trained, fought, overcome, he had done everything he could have possibly imagined and more to prove his worth as a hero, and now, after all he had done, after every promise that Ollie had made him about today, he and the other partners- _not FUCKING SIDEKICKS- _were being _blatantly snubbed._ For crying out loud they were being treated the same as the new guy was!

Speaking of whom, whoever this 'Riptide' was Roy didn't like them. Not because of the sass or the joking proposition, but because he had never heard of the guy before, not in the news and not from any of the League members he and Ollie worked with, and yet he just shows up in the public headquarters of the Justice League taking a nap on one of the couches and Batman- freaking _Batman_\- was somehow okay with the guy being there. Or at the very least he wasn't kicking him out.

"You are just going to leave us here?" Roy demanded as the older heroes were scanned by the computer to allow them entrance to what he knew to be the teleporters. "You promised us a real look inside, not some backstage pass."

"It is a first step." Aquaman told him, "being able to access this room is something few can boast."

"Oh really?" Roy mocked, gesturing up toward the balcony where several families and reporters were looking down at the gathered heroes from behind a thick sheet of glass. "Who cares what side of the glass we're on? We aren't zoo animals!"

"Roy, calm down. You just need to be patient." Oliver tried to talk him down.

"What I need is to be treated with respect." He shot back, the red clad archer turned to face his friends and Riptide. "They're treating us like kids, worse like sidekicks!" He told them, "We deserve better than this."

Wall, Dick, and Kaldur looked at each other, saying nothing. Riptide however spoke up, "It does seem pretty dumb to bring us all here just to leave us out of the meeting. I mean Diana asked me to come here to start the process of joining the League not join a book club. Granted I'm guessing you meant for a sitdown or a tour, maybe a demonstration of our skills and powers in front of the League members who haven't worked with us before or something, not a briefing about a pretty obvious setup, but these four fought the nutbags too so leaving them out is pretty insulting even if you hadn't told them that today marked them being junior members or whatever of your group." The armor clad teen looked around those gathered in the room. "At the very least you could give us a reason we're being left out."

The older heroes shared a look with eachother, silently asking the others if they should speak. In the end it was the Bat himself that took a step forward to explain. "You are correct in assuming that we had other things planned for today." He told the teens, "Originals several members of the League that you have had minimal or no contact with in the pass were supposed to meet you, take stock of your personalities and seeming mental state, and then be shown first hand what you are capable of in a series of sparing matches in the gym." he revealed, "This is because due to an internal League charter all new appointments to our ranks is to be done through a vote taken once a year near the middle of December. Your 'first steps' are in fact special treatment granted to you to help bolster your chances of acceptance when the time comes." He told them bluntly.

"Wait so we came here today because we're a short list?" Wally asked.

Flash rubbed the back of his head, "Uh, kinda? Other independent heroes will also be taken into account, and there's no actual guarantee that any of you will be accepted even with all this."

"Why were we purposely misinformed?" Kaldur asked gravely.

"We were lied to Kaldur. Don't pretend its something else." Roy grumbled. He wasn't happy about this, but knowing that Ollie had been giving him the chance he earned was something at least. He thought he was being insulted but instead he was just having a secret entrance requirement kept from him. Not a good thing, but better than what he had thought. Every group had its own version of initiation after all.

Aquaman answered his student, "Had you been informed you would have likely acted differently, altering your behavior to seem as good a fit as possible. The other members want to know who you actually are and how you act, not what parts you can perform to get on their more favorable sides."

Roy winced. His little outburst- justified as it was- probably proved the need to that.

"If the plan was for us to meet other members, where are they?" Dick asked.

"Scrambled right now." Ollie told the youngest hero, "Ideally we would be prepping you and letting you get used to the base before they trickled in."

'_Fake base.' _Roy thought with a grumble. "Are they still coming?" He asked.

"Unless something comes up." Batman grunted.

Just then the ridiculously big computer snapped on revealing the face of the League's resident walking nuke, Superman. "This is Superman, anyone there?"

The League members in the room made their way over to the counsel "What is it Superman?" Batman asked.

"There's a fire currently engulfing the Cadmus building in DC, reports say it spread remarkably quickly."

"I've had my suspicians about Cadmus, this could be a good oprotunity to-"

"Zatara to Justice League." A new voice cut it. The face of the powerful magi known as Zatara appeared on screen next to Superman's. "The sorcerer Wotan is attempting to use an ancient artifact to block out the sun. I'm requesting a full League response." He informed.

The Dark Knight scowled, "Superman?"

"All things considered its a small fire. Local response teams already have it handled."

Batman grunted but nodded, "We'll be there soon Zatara. Batman out." He turned toward the anxious teens, "Stay here."

"What?" Riptide squawked. Roy silently agreed with the sentiment.

"This is a priority League matter, your initiation will have to wait." The detective told them, already making his way toward the teleporters.

"You said you brought us here to prove ourselves!" Wally yelled.

"And you will," Flash assured his nephew, "But this is not the kind of thing you bring newbies to."

"We aren't 'newbies'." Dick shot at the speedster.

'_We aren't, never heard of Riptide before a half hour ago.' _Roy inwardly snarked.

"You would be to them." Aquaman stated, "Introducing you in the heat of battle will interfere with synchronization of our teamwork." Okay, that was a fair point. Still, sitting back and doing nothing was not Roy's thing.

"If you aren't going to take us with you just send me a text when we are gonna start our little demo to the other League members. I'm not going to sit here doing nothing." Roy told the older heroes, walking toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Riptide called after him.

"Today was supposed to be about proving our worth right? I'm gonna go do that."

"Want some company?" The unknown hero asked, already catching up to the archer.

Roy looked at the man from the other teen of his eye, "This isn't going to be amateur hour buddy. Just because Wonder Woman is your cousin doesn't mean you are invincible."

Riptide snorted as the two left the Hall, the masses still gathered outside noticing them almost instantly, "I'm not green Gonzales, Diana wouldn't have asked me to come if I was. I can handle myself in a fight." He assured.

"First of all, call me that again and I'm going to shoot you with a taser arrow. Second, taking on a few back ally thugs or whatever you did doesn't mean you are on my level. Powers or no."

Riptide stopped, prompting Roy to do the same two steps later, turning to face his fellow teen from his now lower position on the Hall's steps. "Trust me Jr. I'm more than on your level."

"Is that a challenge?" Roy growled, grabbing his bow.

"If you want it to be." Riptide said- god Roy could practically hear his smirk- grabbing one of the two cylinders from the right side of his belt. Roy would have thought he'd go for his sword, the cylinders must be collapsable weapons instead of the medical storage units Roy had initially thought them to be.

The call of one of the remaining reporters cut their standoff off before anything could happen. "Speedy! Cat Grant from the Daily Planet, do you have the time to answer some questions?"

Roy sighed, reporters irritated him so fucking much. Still, public appearances and all that. Very important. "Of course miss Grant, I'd be happy to answer a few questions." Riptide looked at him like he was crazy.

Grant was quick to shoot off her questions before he could change his mind "Why are you leaving the Hall so early? Did something happen inside? Where are the other sidekicks? Who is this new mask with you?" She rattled off.

"Why are you asking him who I am?" Riptide grumbled.

Roy ignored the other teen's irritation and began to explain. "I am leaving the Hall now because what needed to be done inside today has already been dealt with. I have been entered into the League's systems and given a tour of the facilities, the only other thing that was expected to be done today had to be rescheduled. Nothing happened inside that was outside the realm of the expected. The new guy here," He gestured to Riptide, "Is Wonder Woman's cousin Riptide. Like Aqualad, Robin, Kid Flash, and myself he was offered access to the Hall and the possibility of League membership."

The reporter's eyes lit up at the mention of who Riptide was related to. She turned to face the new hero causing Roy to smirk. She was his problem now. "Riptide was it? Amazing that this is the first we are seeing of you, being related to Wonder Woman herself you'd think you would have been fighting by her side the first chance you got!" She baited.

"I had my own battles to fight." Riptide ground out, obviously not liking the unspoken questions being asked. "I was kept busy ensuring the safety of those I could help in my own way, just as my cousin was." He said diplomatically though Roy could tell he was frustrated. "I never even met Di- er Wonder Woman face to face until about a week ago." He revealed.

"Oh? Was it a shock to have someone like her showing up in your life and ask you to come to the Hall of Justice?" Cat inquired.

Riptide shifted uneasily, "In truth I already knew that the two of us were related, have for years, we just never crossed paths…" There was a story there, Roy and Cat could smell it. "Really I'm closer to one of her half-sisters, and I had a sort of friendship with her half brother before his death."

'_Shouldn't have said that!' _Roy inwardly screamed.

"Wonder Woman has siblings then? _Half- _siblings at that?" Cat probed.

"A few. Like I said one just died. I also have half-siblings. So does a fair chunk of the population of the world. What's your point?" He challenged. "We're also both bastards, have had premarital sex, gotten drunk before and ignored the sabbath." Roy and Cat could both tell his eyes narrowed dangerously behind his helmet.

Cat gulped loudly, "N-no of course not. It just comes as a shock that a heroine as famous as Wonder Woman would have so many family members that we never heard of or saw before." She stammered out.

"Not everyone who has powers wants to be like the League." Riptide told her, "Not everyone has the openings to either. Like myself, they were fighting their own battles. Speaking of, Speedy and I were about to go do some fighting ourselves. Excuse us." His piece said the armored hero strode past the shocked form of the reporter, silently gesturing for Roy to follow.

'_Can't believe I forgot' _Roy thought to himself, '_You don't hear about every hero in the world from the news.' _He might not know Riptide very well, or at all really, but he could bet that the two of them would get along pretty well. If the new guy could keep up that is.

**I almost put in a fight scene this chapter but decided against it. Next time though. Probably. Anyway, tell me what you all think! Sorry it took so long!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I wrote this in chunks. During writing I was: Bindging Archer at one point, bindging Psyche at another, venting at another, and a few other things. Point is the tone is a little wonky and there is a LOT of cursing. Which to be fair they are teenage guys so in reality there would probably be quite a bit of strong language. Now to answer some questions from the reviews:**

**1) Roy and Percy will not be a couple. Guys can be friends without them being gay or it being an angst fic, people on FF seem to have forgotten that.**

**2) The reason the chapters are short is because I have schoolwork to do so I tend not to write for pleasure in large chunks and because I tend to lose my train of thought for a chapter and want to move on quickly.**

**Finally, I am sorry that I take so long to update, I have a lot of shit to do IRL and I can rarely get my lazy ass to be productive when I don't absolutely have to be.**

"Why the shit are you using a _spear?_" Archer douchebag's… son? Nephew? What was their relation exactly? Was there one beyond an apprenticeship? The point is he was yelling at Percy.

"Spears are easier than swords to use non-lethally!" He yelled back as the butt of his spear hit one of the weird hyper steroided up drug smugglers in the diaphragm and chin in quick succession. "Which by the way, is a really stupid policy for people who run around looking for and fighting some of the most dangerous people on the planet!"

"One, shut up! Two, heroes are some of the most skilled and well armed people on the planet as well you know!... Well most are anyway! Three, hand to hand combat is even more non-lethal!" A cylinder tipped arrow hit another thug in their disproportionately muscular chest causing him to fall to the ground twitching.

Percy bashed a much more feminine yet just as drugged and crazed thug with his shield in the face. "This coming from the moron shooting heartstopping electric arrows into the chests of druggies!"

"They are regulated to be safe asshole!" Another arrow was shot this one exploding into a large metal cord net that ensnared three thugs.

"Even I know that's not something that can be done! Tolerances, body types, percentages of fat and muscle, gods damn _heart conditions, _make fucking tasers a _mostly safe _weapon _when you don't hit their hearts with bone cracking force at the same time!" _Another two thugs went down when Percy thrust his spear between the heads of two thugs and made to short swings into their temples.

"...Eat my asshole jackass!" The last thug went down when he got hit with a… _boxing glove arrow?_ Seriously?

"That's a funny way of admitting I'm right!" He yelled back with a savage smirk hidden mostly by his helmet. A smirk that fell off his face as a thought occurred to him "Uh, what do we do now?" Normally he was either using a liberal amount of the Mist to avoid attention or just getting the hell out of dodge whenever a fight ended, but neither seemed to be an option at the moment.

Speedy sighed as he joined the demigod in the midst of the unconscious bodies of the criminals. "Now we wait for the cops to show up so we can hand these guys off. I already sent a message to the closest dispatch with the necessary info so it should be about ten minutes." He told Percy.

The demigod nodded at the explanation, it made about as much sense as something like this could he supposed. "Well the, while we wait how about we talk about the giant chip on your shoulder?" Percy suggested.

Speedy's head snapped around toward the armored hero, "Excuse me?"

"The chip on your shoulder," Percy repeated. "You are pissed, have been since we met in the Hall a few hours ago. It ain't stress, the fight would have mitigated it if it was. It's also not something from your personal life, your focus would be split if it was." He explained, "So tell me, what is making you so angry?"

Speedy's eyes narrowed dangerously, "No offense newbie, but I don't know you, and you sure as hell don't know me, so why would I agree to any kind of heart to heart therapy bullshit with you?" He snapped.

A normal person would probably be intimidated if a highly trained, very muscular, well-known fighter gave them a look like the one Percy was being subjected to. Too bad for the red head Percy was far from normal and had been subjected to things far more unnerving than an angry glare from a human. "Because unlike Beardy McDouchbag I won't tell you to calm your ass down from the get go, and unlike his way out of his league bombshell of a part time girlfriend-"

"Watch it." The archer growled.

"- I can give more than an ear to talk off and a variation of 'get your shit together'." Percy finished.

"... How did you know how Black Canary gives pep talks?"

"I don't I just figured she was the type to try and mother you instead of being a therapist but doesn't quite know how to 'mom'."

"In her defense, she's a pretty decent therapist for people other than me and Green Arrow."

"Well she's not sleeping with or pseudo moming other people is she?"

"True enough. But that still doesn't mean I'm going to open up to you."

"Hmm… How about this? I'll talk about the issues I have with my dear cousin and then when I'm done you can tell me why you are pissed with the elf leprechaun hybrid you call a teacher?"

"His name is _Green Arrow," _Speedy growled.

"Don't care, the beard is ridiculous and so is his name." Percy waved him off, "Now. My issues with Wonder Woman." He cleared his throat dramatically, "Let's get the small ones out of the way first yeah? She's hot as hell and I kind of want to do the do with her but I also want to punch her, which just frustrates me more."

"What the _fuck?"_

"Screw off the culture of the Ancient Greeks and Themescarians allows that kind of thing. Where was I? Oh yeah, there's also the fact that she's faster and stronger than I am which makes me jealous and more than a little pissed off because part of the reason she is so much more powerful is because she got like a dozen blessings from the Gods so really the only thing she actually worked for is her skill… which is probably a pretty good match for my own as much as I hate to admit that." Percy grumbled.

"Hold up I always wanted to ask but; are the gods you two worship like _actual _gods or are they just powerful mystical beings that are _called _gods?" Speedy asked.

"Does it really matter?"

"Of course it matters!"

"Well too bad for you then because I honestly have no idea. Now back to my rant. I could honestly get over being weaker than Di- sorry Wonder Woman, even with it being due to some unfair bonuses. Grudges and jealousy aren't big things for me, I know how to move past that stuff."

"Then why do you hate your cousin? Other than the incestuous crush."

"I was getting to that." Percy assured him. "My issue is that… well I guess you could say our flaws don't mesh very well."

"... Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Speedy asked.

"Oh right sorry. Uh, in the Greek mythology or pantheon or whatever you want to call it, there is no such thing as a 'perfect being'. Not hero or god is without some kind of deeply ingrained fault in their personality or power. Zeus is prideful, paranoid, and a giant man whore, Hades is detached and never forgives the smallest slight, my father is pretty much the perfect example of a case of high functioning bipolarism and couldn't be impartial to save his own existence." Several loud strikes of thunder roared outside and the shadows of the room the heroes and still unconscious gang members were in seemed to darken and shift unnaturally. "Ignore that, as long as I keep the insults to a minimum they usually let me get away with it. Anyway, if even our gods are flawed it stands to reason that we are as well." Percy continued to explain, "My flaw is that I care far and beyond more for those close to me than anyone else in the world. I would willingly see entire cities carpet bombed if it meant I could keep my mom and sister safe." He admitted.

"Wait _what?"_

"You heard me. Wonder Woman on the other hand has the flaw of pride, both in regards to herself and for her island. She wears a strapless one piece bathing suit for crying out loud! You think that is for protection or some cultural thing? She'd be wearing armor like mine if she wanted the former and a toga if she wanted the latter. She's hot as fuck and she knows it." Percy told him bluntly. "Beyond that she wants both herself and the Amazons to be viewed as the true ideal of the world despite their numerous shortcomings."

"Dude just get to the point already!"

"I'm getting there! The _point _is she cares about appearances and reputation. A _lot. _To the point where she has ignored duties that didn't help bolster those things."

"Bullshit."

"You'd think so wouldn't you? Let me tell you something. Wonder Woman was given the blessings that she has so that she could act as a guardian. Not for Themyscira, not for the world, but for the gods themselves and her fellow demigods." He revealed, his sea green eyes darkening, "Instead of saving her family she went around to dinners with world leaders and publicity stunts for the League. Fighting giant robots or a supervillain's army instead of shadowing one unlucky kid as they made their way to one of the camps I can get, but even when our battles dwarfed the ones the League was fighting she never bothered to show up. She claims its because she had to do her job as an ambassador, but somehow I doubt that some unmissable meeting just _happened _to be on the same days as _every one _of the major conflicts that the Greek and Roman demigod forces have faced in the last five years." He growled.

"...Did you ever consider that she never showed in order to protect you all?" Speedy asked quietly.

"What?"

"Wonder Woman is pretty damn famous. Has been for a good seven years now. Everyone knows who she is, what she looks like, where she typically spends her time. The cafe she frequents in DC grew ten times larger in six months after she started going there. People notice when she goes somewhere, they notice when she spends time with people, they notice when people act like they _might_ know her." Speedy explained, "Now, what do you think would happen if someone like her started spending a bunch of time around a bunch of kids, several of which she might be caught with on a regular bases in cases like you or that brother you said she had?"

Percy didn't respond. He knew what the red haired archer was getting at but he didn't want to say it.

"Every crook with a grudge, every crazed fan with too little sense, every mad scientist wanting to make their own metahuman army would go after them." Speedy said bluntly. "I'm not gonna say that her ego wasn't the reason she missed at least a few fights, but somehow I doubt that it was the only reason she missed any at all." He finished.

"...Whatever." Percy sighed, "It doesn't even matter any more. The things she would have been helpful with have already happened." He shook his head to indicate it was the end of that particular discussion. "Either way that's the reason behind my beef with my Justice League sponsor, now let's hear about your daddy issues."

"I never agreed to that." Speedy denied, turning away from the demigod.

"Sure you did, thats why I gave that little speech just now."

"No, _you_ said you'd rant and then I'd have to talk as some kind of payoff, but I never said I'd do that." He once more denied.

"Oh just getting talking Merida, we both know you want to shit on Discount Legolas." Percy all but demanded.

"What did you just call me?" The bowman snapped angrily.

"Marida. You know that Disney princess that doesn't want to contribute to her kingdom or people in any way and almost gets her mom killed because of it? She's a redhead that likes archery so I figured the imagery fit. The fact that you kind of came off as an entitled asshole back at the Hall just increases the parallels." Percy explained.

"I know who Marida is!" Speedy yelled angrily.

"Then why did you ask?"

"Because my name is Speedy you ass! I know that you know it so fucking use it!"

"Well maybe I would if you told me why you are acting like such a brat!" Percy snapped back.

The hero threw his arms up in irritation, "You know what? Fine!" He began stomping over to the side of the room, far from the unconscious criminals but still within a clear line of sight.

Percy grinned madly behind his helmet, '_Knew I could get him to talk.' _He congratulated himself. He knew he could be an irritating not so little shit, it was part of his charm and several people had mentioned his skill at the art whenever he flexed his pain in the rear sass attack muscle as opposed to his pure sass techniques.

Making sure to not appear as enthusiastic as he was Percy followed the archer over to the warehouse wall and leaned against the hard structure. "I'm all ears."

Speedy sighed, "First off, GA isn't my dad. He's just been my guardian for the past three and a half years, just four months before I put on the mask for the first time." He began, "My mom died young. Not really sure why or how and I could never bring myself to look into it. My dad died later, when I was eleven. He was a Park Ranger and got caught in a fire that some dumb pot head hiker started." He swallowed, "A friend of his, an elder from a Native tribe that he had I guess ironically saved from a different fire years earlier, took me in. He's a good guy, and a chunk of the others were as well, but I never really… fit in with them. I wasn't the same religion, didn't speak their language, didn't dress like them, didn't look like them, my name didn't match their style, literally the only thing I had that connected me with any of them was the fact that I could use a bow."

The hero took a slow breath, "My dad had taught me the basics when I was eight and kept it up until he died. Back then I thought it was so stupid and annoying but my dad loved bow hunting and insisted I learn how too." He shook his head wildly, "Anyway after he died I became obsessed with archery, by the time I was thirteen I was the best in the state. Thing is the elders didn't like that for a few different reasons, not the least of which because some pasty ass white boy could best their grandkids at a long standing tradition." He laughed lightly.

"So what they sent you off to squire under Robin Hood because you were too good and needed to get better?" Percy asked confused.

"Nah, about half of those with pull started doing everything they could to make sure I was never around. They couldn't banish me without just cause or whatever but that didn't mean they couldn't 'sponsor' some traveling for me. It took a grand total of two weeks for me to become a Green Arrow fanboy- yeah yeah laugh it up jackass."

Percy tried to choke down his laughter, "S-sorry its just-"

"I know." Speedy sighed, "Look laugh later okay? Because I'm not going to say this more than once."

"Right, sorry. Continue."

"Long story short, about a month later I found and entered a youth archery contest that GA was attending as an endorser for youth sports or something. I figured if I could win I could convince him to take me on as a partner, get me away from the judgment of the tribe… I got second place." He admitted. "It hit hard. My entire identity and feelings of all forms of self worth were tied to using a bow. So I got angry, sad, I lashed out. Went around that night and shot some mugger in the ass. Green Arrow saw, saved my ass when the mugger pulled a gun, and told me I was an idiot and to never do it again. I refused. Demanded he either train me or I would just keep going out on my own. He laughed in my face and told me to go home. I had another three days in the city before my ride back to the reservation. I went out every day, found muggers or dealers every night, had my ass saved a second time by GA, and got an hour long screaming lecture for my trouble."

"And he took you on after that?" Percy asked.

"After I threatened to keep going out at night." Speedy nodded, "He said if I was going to be a dumbass I should at least be a prepared dumbass." A laughed was barked out, "I told him my living situation and he was able to pull some strings to get me an apartment in a building that took in emancipated kids. He gave me three months of regular training sessions and after he began to trust me, he told me his name and gave me my first costume, special arrows, and a new bow." The teenager smiled happily at the memory before it flickered away. "Thing is my issues with my self worth were still pretty deeply ingrained. I pushed myself hard, real hard… The stress got to me about a year and a half ago." He admitted.

"You started using." Percy guessed.

"Stole the best stuff from the dealers we busted." He nodded.

"How'd you stop?"

"GA caught me. Damn near threw me out of the house. Black Canary saved my ass that day, talked him down and made the two of us sit down and figure things out… and dragged my to a discrete rehab center for a two week watch over."

"I'm guessing that sit down included variations of 'you have nothing to prove', 'you know you can talk to me', 'there is more to life than just being a hero' and other such phrases?"

"That and more." Speedy nodded. "By the end of it we had agreed no more secrets, no more lies, full trust, and a few other things… you know the Hall of Justice isn't the real HQ of the League right?"

"I assumed so yes. Figured they had a building squared away under the name of a fake business or a private island that Aquaman kept cruise ships away from or something."

"Orbiting satellite with self-sustaining oxygen and energy production accessed by teleporters," Speedy revealed.

"...Ares panties that is awesome."

"...Never swear like that again."

"No promises. So why the ass attack at the Hall?"

"What do you think? I was lied to, pretty much told I wasn't worthy behind my back, treated like a background character on what was supposed to be one of the most important days of my life. I was pissed."

"You never got over the self worth issues did you?"

"... I've gotten better."

"You still only see yourself as worthy as your position and you are cheapening that in your head as time goes on, looking at yourself like you are the bottom rung and yet are desperate to climb higher."

"What's your point Wincest?"

"Okay first off, you are saying that in regards to Wonder Woman, whom I've never fucked. Second, I'm the son of a Greek deity who plowed his sister and tried to marry another sister. Third, I have committed incest before by technicality, our DNA structures are vastly different because of the god stuff. Fourth, it's clear you are lashing out because of a feeling of self-loathing."

"I feel like your issues with where you have been putting your dick outpace my issues with my anger issues."

"Agree to disagree. My point is, you need to reevaluate yourself man. You are one of less than a dozen recognized heroes of the up and coming generation. You have saved who knows how many lives, inspired who knows how many people to become more than what they used to be just like Duck Eye did for you. Flash Junior, Aqualad, and Robin clearly see you as one of their closest friends. You don't need to be a member of the Justice League to matter Speedy. You already do."

"... That was cheesy."

"Fuck off that was as inspirational and motivational as a flock of victoria secret models saying if you ace your next test they'll all bang you."

"Really playing up the sleazy Greek thing aren't you?"

"All demigods are like this. Gods are worse than rabbits and their traits tend to be stubborn when being passed down."

"Sure buddy. Sure."

The sounds of the police arriving marked the end of the two teens' heart to heart and an end to the entertaining parts of their day.

**Love it? Hate it? Have some thoughts on it? REVIEW!**


	5. Interlude: JL meeting

**I know this took a long ass time, I actually finished about 2/3 of it about two weeks after I posted the last chapter, but then I got distracted writing on another site- Rated M and for commission so you see where my priorities are- and I lost track of this one. So today I gave it a rap up as best I could and have started the next chapter as well. Don't know when it'll be out though. Either way, enjoy this look at what the Justice League thinks about Percy and the recent cannon events!**

The day had not gone as planned. Not one bit. What was supposed to be a fairly simple day of ceremony and evaluations had turned into a near national incident, an interhero fracturing, and a potential publicity fallout. '_The Fates do not act lightly do they?' _Diana thought with a heavy sigh. After retrieving Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and the newly discovered Superboy from the ruins of the Cadmus building both Batman and Superman had all but demanded a full League meeting, and when two of the three 'greatest heroes' called for something like that it happened. '_Granted any one of the three of us could make the call and have it followed, as could Flash and Aquaman if they wanted.' _Superman might be the public leader of the League but the actual command structure was a bit more complicated and convoluted than that.

"Not only did they almost destroy our relationship with the US government but because of their actions we can't take _any _action against any of the known directors of Cadmus for their illegal experiments or their violation of genetic rights!" Superman continued to rant about the Cadmus incident as he had been for nearly half an hour at that point. In Diana's opinion the so called Man of Steel was more upset about the genetic rights violation being against himself than he was about the crime in general. Whether it was arrogance or genuine fear the Kyrptonian seemed to be of the immovable belief that anyone else having his powers would be beyond disastrous. The fact that Lex Luthor was one of Cadmus's top shareholders no doubt only made the clone they had found all the more damned in Clark's eyes.

"The key word there is 'almost'. You read their report, they just did what we taught them to do." Flash broke into Superman's rant trying as always to be a more platantive voice. "They knew Cadmus was on the JL's watchlist, entered within the bounds of our charter, and followed up on suspicious activity. Yes they should have called it in when they found out about the sublevels and yes releasing Superboy like they did was stupid, but they are kids. They are going to make a few mistakes in their effort to prove themselves."

"I agree with Flash." Aquaman nodded stiffly, "The children are not at fault. At least not to the point of damnation." The king decread.

"We've already gone over everything we can concerning the Cadmus incident until I and some associates have time to go over the data we were able to recover from their servers." Batman cut in before Superman could begin to press his case again. "As it stands the more immediate concern should be the actions of Riptide and Speedy." He pressed several keys on the keyboard at his seat at the Justice League's conference table, causing a holographic display of a beaten criminal and an open cargo crate. "It seemed that using intel that he gathered along with Green Arrow Speedy brought Riptide to a considerably active hub for the distribution of Venom. From what Arrow was able to gather prior to this raid it seems that Daniel Brickwell, alias Brick, has been in fairly close contact with not only Santa Prisca but also Black Mask and possibly others as well."

"Brickwell having contact with Santa Prisca is not surprising given his past and current enterprises but for him to be creating ties with Black Mask is… confusing." Martian Manhunter observed softly.

"And concerning. Two kingpins with noted capabilities to move and stockpile heavy weaponry and who knows how much manpower? They could take over a state or two before the National Guard would even have time to rally and deploy." Hal Jordan grunted.

"You are exaggerating." Diana spoke up with a small shake of her head. "At most they would be able to take their respective cities even if we do not get involved. Black Mask requires only a subordinate with delusions of grander or a lucky bullet from a citizen for him to fall, and with him his organizations. Brick might be more difficult to put down in a fight but he is also nowhere near Black Mask's capabilities as a leader. What's more they both know this, they won't expand their reaches so recklessly."

"Diana is right." Batman grunted. "Both Brickwell and Sionis aren't stupid enough to put themsevles and their empires at risk with such a move. I believe that the true endgame is tied to one of the smaller groups the two are communicating with."

"You think there's a third party pulling the strings." Green Arrow voiced what many of them were thinking. "Sorry Bats but I don't buy it. I'll admit maybe Brick could get caught up in some other scumbag's game but Black Mask? He's the one who catches other crime lords!" The blond man exclaimed.

"Just yesterday four different ice villains attacked on the same day outside of their usual MOs." Hawkwoman reminded him, "We all already agreed that there must be some kind of intercity plan being enacted because of that and while I don't agree with that you yourself espoused a belief that it is at least possible."

"There's a difference between a bunch of mostly solo acts with a shared gimmick deciding to hold each others hands and two major kingpins being used as puppets." The archer defended himself, "You never worked against Brick or Mask, I've fought both. They are smart, calculating, and proud. They aren't gimmicks or powermad egomaniacs. They see themselves as businessman first and foremost, not as villains."

"Which is why I narrowed the suspects down to Penguin and Luthor." Batman cut in again. "Penguin and Sionis have been able to put aside their rivalry once before and it is possible they have done so again. Luthor on the other hand-"

"Is always putting his fingers in as many pies as he can get his hands on." Superman growled, clearly making his own suspicions of the puppetmaster's identity.

"...What about the Shadows?" Green Arrow asked. "Doesn't it make more sense for Ra's to be playing this role?"

"If it was only metahumans I would agree with you, but Ra's doesn't get involved with drug rings or their creation." The Dark Knight grunted.

"So you have already decided that the three incidents are connected?" Diana asked the detective.

"I'm not sure, but until I find evidence otherwise I'm going to treat them as if they are." Batman grunted.

"As interesting as discussing theories and possible incentives is, I think we've all overlooked something." Black Canary said in her usual clear, crisp voice. "Riptide is openly a cousin of Diana's, one who showed a somewhat clear dislike of her to the press and one we know nothing about. Well, none of us save for Diana and Batman that is." The blonde gave the two mentioned legends a quick accusing glance.

Diana sighed, she had known that sooner or later she would be questioned about Percious but that didn't mean she hadn't hoped to put it off. "Riptide is currently the lone mortal son of Poseidon." She began, already having the entire League's attention, Aquaman's most of all. "He is hailed as the greatest warrior and most powerful demigod ever born to the Greek or Roman pantheon." She continued.

"Aren't those the same thing? I mean, except for the names." Flash asked confused.

"When their worshiped changed the Greek gods took on new forms to fit the altered personalities that the Romans attributed to them." Zatara chose to explain, "Though the reason behind such actions is debated among my fellow mystics it is commonly accepted that it was to better feed from the worship they were given during that era though even that theory has many detractors."

"Regardless of such things Riptide's stance among the divine is clear. He has showcased power on paar with even the Olympian council even as he remains human and is thus not bound by the ancient laws. Yet despite this he has never showcased any sort of malicious intent to the world at large or to the gods." Diana informed her allies.

"The priests of Atlantis and her sister cities have noted a new power among the oceans. I suppose now I can inform them of the source." Aqualad hummed.

"I'm sorry did you say the kid was _god level?"_ Hal asked incredulously.

"In terms of power yes, he can create powerful earthquakes with a gesture, conjure record breaking storms with a thought, and his command over water is said to be on paar with his brother Triton's if not greater, but that might does not extend to his physical abilities. He possesses strength and speed greater than Aquaman but less than my own. His durability however encroaches on true indestructibility." Diana told him.

"If he's the top guy in your pantheon then how come he isn't as strong or fast as you are?" Hawkwoman asked with a frown.

"Wonder Woman was blessed directly from her gods on top of her own natural born abilities." Captain Marvel answered for her, "It's like wearing a stat boost ring from DnD." He shrugged. That was the best way he could explain it at least.

"That is not… entirely inaccurate, but it is not exactly correct either." Said Diana.

"I know, but its the best way I can explain it without giving a lecture on mythology and the attributes of divine blessings." The mightiest mortal shrugged again.

"Strength isn't worth much if there's no skill behind it, especially if there is someone stronger walking around." John Stweret spoke for the first time that night, nodding over to Superman and Wonder Woman, "Where does Riptide stand in terms of technique?"

"He and I are generally considered equals with the sword, with myself being the better archer by far and he the better spearman by a reasonable degree." The Amazon said with a small frown.

"And unarmed combat?" Black Canary asked.

"I do not know. Given the nature of the trials that gave him his fame he never had a need or desire to fight without a weapon, though he has been trained in Pankration by a capable teacher. It is more than likely that I would best him in such a contest however." She said with just a touch of overt pride.

"You mentioned several non-physical abilities." Zatara hummed, "Such things can often tip the scales if things come to blows, yet I do not believe I've ever seen you use any elemental power Diana." The magician quirked an eyebrow, the question obvious.

The Amazon sighed in self pity "Before I was gifted the many blessings I now possess I had skill with the use of lighting and to a lesser degree wind, but the massive power that make up the blessings have covered up my own inherent power, making utilizing it extremely difficult. The only way I am can use it in combat now is quite destructive so I avoid using it." She admitted, thinking about the destructive waves she could produce with her bracers. "I used to be able to fly with my own power using the winds." She remembered whisfully, "Now that I use the power of Hermes it feels more like I am a passenger than the pilot."

Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Superman, and Martian Manhunter looked down at the admission. As people who could fly without evocation or outside power they understood where she was coming from. Losing such a freeing part of themselves was not a comforting idea. It's why they avoided airplanes and Javilans if they could help it.

Noticing the melichony turn that was taking place Black Canary cut back in. "Thank you Diana for answering our questions." She smiled at the taller woman, "I know you don't like revealing things about how you and your people fight." Boasting about prowess yes, revealing potential weaknesses no.

"So to recap, we have an incredibly powerful teenager who doesn't like one of our central members, a bunch of ice villains who are for some reason in cahoots for some insidious purpose, a shadow government branch that has the potential to make living weapons, and a potential intercity crime lord smuggling team up of who knows what proportions with the last three issues possibly being interconnected." Hal Jordan listed off. "And to think we all thought the most stressful thing that would happen this week is interviewing some sidekicks."

**Shorter than usual yes, I lost my train of thought because of the hiatus I went on so I did what I could. Hope it wasn't too terrible.**

**Also: Why has no one taken up my Cass Cain challenge? I mean only two people have even bothered to leave their thoughts on the thing! I might have been sleep deprived when I wrote it but now I actually want to see it! Don't make me write it myself, it'll only make updates for the rest of the things I have going take even longer!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Not nearly as long a wait this time, which is good, but it is essentially mostly filler again, which is not so good. But Miss Martian is here! And next time we get to see the Mister Twister fight! Always fun. Though after that the path is very unclear as I want to do some original adventures and give a bit of screentime to the other Percy Jackson characters before things get too deep into YJ's storyline.**

"Not a bad place." Speedy- Roy at the moment as he and the other nonleague heroes were all in casual clothes- nodded with begrudging acceptance. The base the young heroes had been brought to was impressive to be sure. High ceilings, clean white walls, a ton of tech with abilities beyond almost anything else in the solar system, a fully furnished rec area, and even a full kitchen. And that was all visible from the teleporters! "For a decommissioned warehouse anyway."

"Wait what?" Percy asked his… he guessed friend now, after their heart to heart rant thing the week before. "Did this place really used to be a warehouse?"

"Yes and no." Robin- and damn was it weird to meet the kid in street clothes, the acrobat could have passed as a completely normal teen if he wasn't wearing blackout shades- answered in the archer's stead, "Mount Justice- and yes that's its actual name, I couldn't believe it either- was the original base for the Justice League back when it was founded, but then a couple of villains were able to locate it so it was repurposed as a general storage area for low priority supplies while the League set up new accommodations. Batman and the Lanterns spent the last couple days emptying it out and updating the systems for us to use now that we got permission to work as a subsidiary." The thirteen year old looked at the two oldest heroes with a smirk, "You're welcome for that by the way."

Percy rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah, thank you for breaking your mentors' orders by using a technicality to justify your actions and then doing all the dumb shit you could have possibly done during an infiltration mission, including waking up a living weapon you already knew was being implanted with anti-League programming, and thank you for being somehow being… I guess charismatic enough to convince the League- well Batman at least- to set this all up for us to actually have something worthwhile to do while we wait to be voted into the League proper." The demigod suddenly jerked up and blinked rapidly, "Oh. Um. No offense meant Superboy." He apologized to the clone and aforementioned living weapon.

The synthetic kryptonian shrugged, "I am what I am. No use denying it." He said in a bored monotone.

"...Alright if its out in the open, did you ever get a psych evaluation or a mental scan to make sure that was all taken care of? The programming I mean." Roy asked wearily.

"I am NOT letting ANYONE mess in my head again!" The teen looking boy yelled, growling angrily.

"Reasonable reaction." Wally pointed out, "Considering what they were doing Cadmus definitely left a bad taste in his brain."

"Would it be a bad taste? Or would be more like a slimy feeling? Or maybe like when you get a whiff of something really gross and it just kind of sticks in the back of your nose and you smell it for like an hour afterwards?" Percy mused in what passed as philosophical for him.

"Luthor is pretty slimmy." Robin nodded, his own face scrunched up in contemplation.

Superboy frowned and mentally ran through the knowledge that Cadmus had given him about sensation and physical feelings during his gestation. "Its more like having a minor burn wound filled with puss being poked at. Not what could be called painful but more uncomfortable and unsettling."

"Can burn wounds be like that? The only ones I ever got before I got my powers were the ones that came from the experiment that gave me them, and those hospitalised me." Wally asked the other actual teenagers.

Percy held up his hands, "Don't look at me, the only ones I ever got came from when I was being attacked by monsters in the middle of an active volcano… which I then made erupt." He shivered at the memory, "Not fun."

"It can happen." Roy cut back in, "I got a steam burn across my knuckles when I was making rice one time and it bubbled up with some gross crap. Took three days before it was ready to be lanced and I could go back on patrol."

"You are lucky my friend. Water burns are no laughing matter, no matter how trivial some humans tend to see such things." As an Atlantian he knew all too well the dangers of scalding liquid.

"If you are all done." Batman's deep almost growling voice broke in, drawing the younger boys attentions to him and the other heroes walking up behind them. "After your actions on the Fourth the League decided that while we will not stop you from fighting the good fight together, we will be making sure you don't cause any more unforeseen incidents." He glared at his own protege for a second, "Red Tornado has agreed to operate as your supervisor, and Black Canary has offered to act as an additional trainor beyond your mentors to track your progress and assess your skills, meanwhile I will be deploying you on missions."

"Real missions?" Roy asked with a deep frown.

"Yes. But covert for the time being." The dark knight nodded slightly.

"The League will still handle the obvious stuff," Flash told the young heroes, jabbing at his chest emblem with his thumb. "There's a reason we have these big targets on our chests." Well the actual reason was to subconsciously encourage their opponents to aim their weapons where their armors were thickest- though there are other ways to encourage bad shooting of course, Dinah, Ollie, and Bruce once explained it to the whole League during a seminar on field safety but he hadn't been paying a lot of attention at the time- but it was also for drawing other kinds of attention as well.

"Cadus proves the bad guys are getting smarter, and if what Batman suspects is true it reaches far beyond them already. We need a team that can operate on the sly and act as a more discreet pair of eyes and ears for us all." Aquaman told the young heroes.

"The seven of you will be that team." Batman took back over.

"Cool… wait seven?" Robin asked, the parts of his face not covered by his shades showing confusion.

Batman looked over his apprentice's head, prompting the teens to turn around toward the teleporters. Stepping out of the dark shadows of the tubelike structures were two green figures, the tall, bald, and very distinct form of the Martian Manhunter walked beside what Percy was guessing was a younger female martian. Not to say she didn't look female, she very much did, and she had the same skin tone of the Manhunter, but her facial structure, eyes, posture, and general physical presentation was much more… human than the other green skinned being. 'Then again Martians are shapeshifters aren't they? Looking different doesn't really mean much in that case huh?' Percy noted.

"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece, Miss Martian." Batman explained, confirming Percy's assessment that looks meant nothing when it came to martians. He would have never guessed the girl was that closely related to the League founder.

"Hi." She waved sweetly, a small nervous but welcoming smile on her face. She clearly was nervous about making a good first impression on maybe the first humans she had ever met. Pretty understable really, and it would explain why she went out of her way to look so much more human than her uncle.

"Liking this gig more every minute." Wally quietly nudged Robin, trying to smile charmingly at the redheaded alien. It didn't take a child of Aphrodite to see the speedster had a crush at first sight thing going on.

'Not that I can blame him.' Percy admitted to himself. Even though he usually liked girls with some more defined muscle the nonhuman girl was a nice mix of cute and pretty that was hard not to find appealing in at least some way.

While Wally, Robin, Kaldur, and Roy went over to what would be the lone female member of their team for the time being to introduce themselves Percy stayed back with Superboy. "Will you be okay?" He asked lowly, relying on the kryptonian's super senses to pick up his words, "Martians are telepaths if I'm remembering right and like Wally pointed out earlier-"

"As long as she keeps her thoughts to herself and stays away from mine I don't care." He grunted back, keeping his own voice almost as low as Percy's. "I won't condemn her for her powers, but I don't want her using them on me. Ever."

The demigod sighed, "It might happen dude. If her whole race can mind speak it might be reflex for her. Not to mention being able to call for help without making any noise in the field could be a big help." Gods knew it might have been useful when he and Annabeth were on quests with cyclopses… or most quests really. Her using her invisibility cap so much made keeping track of where she was near impossible in a combat setting.

Superboy's perpetual frown turned into a scowl. Clearly he didn't like the implication that he was going to have to let Miss Martian into his head on a regular bases. He wasn't swearing, cursing, or making any violent promises though so Percy was taking that as a win.

"Superboy, Percy! Come here and meet Miss M!" Robin called out to the two powerhouses. The two gave each other a brief look, Superboy's marked by a scowl of begrudging acceptance and Percy's a look of understanding before the two made their way over to the group.

The martian girl gave the two another small smile as the white body of her shirt darkened to a black the same shade as the shirt Superboy was wearing. "I like your shirt." She told the clone somewhat shyly, earning a small brief smile from the dower fake teen. Maybe Wally wasn't going to be the only one with a crush on the shapeshifter.

"Today is the day." Kaldur said firmly, almost like a decree. Roy, Wally, and Robin smiled at their friend and nodded in agreement while Percy, Superboy, and Miss Martian gave each other somewhat confused looks. They might be missing something here. Guess that's what happens when new group members show up from nowhere, inside jokes and stuff goes right over their heads.

"Your missions will have no set schedule and will come in erratic frequencies." Batman butted into the team circle, "The nature of your missions means each one will take extensive research and analysis before it can be justified and with any luck none of them will last more than a single day in the field. Training with Canary will start in one week and you are required to attend every session unless your mentor can give her a valid reason for an absence. Failure to keep up with training both with Canary and your mentors will result in you being benched. Failure to properly function as a unit will result in either benching or removal from the team in its entirety. Failure to take missions seriously and perform the tasks required of you will result in both a removal from the team and a removal of any possibility of joining the League and a loss of support from its affiliated heroes and all resources at their disposal." He listed off, his voice a constant even commanding baritone. "Make no mistake your positions here are not a right granted to you for your skills and powers, they are a privilege extended to you as a show of appreciation for your desire and actions to support the wellbeing of humanity and the ideals and peace and justice. Do not make us regret the trust we are giving you." He finished with a low growl.

If Percy had been on the receiving end of that speech before his time in the Pit he might have been nervous or even afraid. As it was all he felt was anticipation. He was going to be a gods damn superspy fighting against potentially world ending odds. It was a mix between his entire life so far and childhood fantasy that made him almost giddy.

A loud rumbling broke whatever tension had built up from the dark knight's speech causing everyone to turn toward the source of the abrupt noise. Wally coughed awkwardly in embarrassment. "Is the uh, is the kitchen stocked by any chance? I think my gut is telling me its time for lunch."

"... You know what? I can get behind that. Spicy chicken sound good?" Roy asked, ignoring how Batman's eye almost seemed to twitch before he walked past the group with the other League members, leaving the new team to their own devices.

"Spicy like normal people spicy or spicy like you and GA spicy?" Robin squinted at the much taller hero.

The archer made a 'pfft' sound, "Pansies. Normal people spicy."

"In that case I'll take ten." Wally patted his stomach with a laugh.

Percy looked between the now once again casual acting heroes in bewilderment at the abrupt change in mood for several seconds. So much for the feeling of high stakes drama. Whatever. He liked chicken.

**And ending on a happy note. Please remember to Review and all that good stuff. Also, for some reason, I've been really wanting to do a Game of Thrones crossover story with either the Seven Realms series or with Danny Phantom. I already have plot ideas for them that I posted on my profile if anyone wants to read them and then either PMing me or leaving a Review that includes your thoughts on them. I may even set up a poll, depending on if the urge keeps up a few more days. We'll see.**

**Stay safe, stay isolated, and stay calm.**

**Wingd Knight out.**


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